FASHION ROW
Harlem’s Fashion Row Comes West
Fashion Row, a group that advocates for fashion designers of color, came west to make its Los Angeles debut on Feb. 6. The show was in town just in time for the Grammy Awards and the NAACP Image Awards, which took place the same weekend.
Brandice Henderson-Daniel, chief executive officer of the New York–based Harlem’s Fashion Row, produced a runway show held at a hilltop estate in Beverly Hills.
The show was devoted to African-American fashion designers, half of whom were from Los Angeles. Before the runway show, event hosts and actors Quincy Brown and Vanessa Simmons made a mission statement for Harlem’s Fashion Row. They said that less than 1 percent of items sold in department stores were designed by people of color. However, African-Americans spend more than $22 billion on clothes. Fashion Row hoped that events such as the runway show would boost the profile of African-American designers.
Kevan Hall, a Los Angeles–based designer who runs a self-named label best known for red-carpet gowns, started the runway show with highlights from his Spring 2015 collection. They included day dresses, which are a new direction for his line, some 1960s-inspired dresses, and, of course, red-carpet gowns—including one that featured a rosé print that looked like a burst of flowers.
Waraire Boswell, also based in Los Angeles, showed some of his menswear looks sold on his website (www.waraireboswell.com). There was the Lear Suit, which features a jersey blazer and drop-crotch pants. Also on display was the Nauru shirt, which had a mandarin collar. Other looks included a tux jacket with shorts and a suit bearing a design with iridescent colors.
Kimberly Goldson, a New York–based “Project Runway” alumna, showed bright prints that were inspired by a trip to Cape Town, South Africa. But the silhouettes of the clothes were very much a product of her imagination. There was a boxy-shaped gown, which featured a risqué slit on the side. Another featured a gown top and high-waisted panties bearing metal details featuring the initials “K.G.”
Bethune Bros., another New York label and designed by Joseph Bethune, showed more than eight looks. The line’s jeans were inspired by motorcycle pants. One jean featured a workman’s apron, which was a nod to the career of the designer’s father, who was a mechanic who worked on motorcycles. This was Bethune’s Los Angeles runway debut.
